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Common favorite houseplants like philodendrons and rubber trees come in varying colors, shapes and sizes.

While the winter chill draws you indoors and you're dreaming of spring and summer gardening, leaf through seed catalogs (virtually or in-hand). Many local and regional seed companies offer heirloom and hardy vegetable plants in hundreds of varieties.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Plant Hardiness Zone Map was updated this year. It helps gardeners choose the right plants, flowers and shrubs to grow in their area.

A small patch of colorful, ornamental berry bushes could elevate your holiday decorating game next year.

If you have large outdoor planters or containers, try filling them with cut branches, berry twigs and needled evergreen boughs for rustic, natural holiday decorations this season.

A living tree can make a fun centerpiece for your holiday celebrations! Choose from lots of different needle-bearing live trees from your local nursery. Each year, you can decorate indoors, then replant outdoors.

Broadleaf evergreen shrubs � like roses, lavender and thyme � need protection from cold temperatures, snow and wind. Learn how to create a barrier from winter weather, using natural materials like hay and wood chips along with stakes, wire and burlap.

Dahlia blooms grow well in Vermont's climate, but they are too delicate to overwinter in the ground. Now is the time to dig them up and get them cozy for a long winter's nap so you can plant them again for more blooms next spring.

The tiger moth caterpillar, with its black- and rust-colored bands, has long been thought to be a predictor of upcoming winter weather. More likely, the coloring on these caterpillars shows what the previous months' weather and conditions were like.

The warmer temperatures that lingered into early fall means you still have time to get digging in the soil before it freezes. Use this opportunity to plant flowering bulbs soon for a big reward next spring!